Digital Interactive Storytelling for the Cultural Heritage of Ermoupolis
As part of its ongoing effort to explore innovative ways of presenting the cultural heritage of Ermoupolis, Aegean Echoes collaborated with the University of the Aegean to develop immersive digital experiences at the historic Kois Mansion in Syros.
Augmented Reality and Interactive Storytelling
One of the initiatives developed through this collaboration was a new Augmented Reality (AR) application, designed and implemented by Associate Professor Spyros Vosinakis and lecturer Pavlos Chatzigrigoriou within the framework of the XARTS 2025 Summer School “Digital Media in Art.”
Using AR glasses, visitors can experience an immersive digital performance inside the living room of the Kois Mansion. Three-dimensional figures appear within the physical environment, converse and interact with the space, creating a playful and engaging narrative that connects contemporary digital media with the history and atmosphere of the building.
Augmented Reality can introduce digital information, images, narratives and three-dimensional elements into a historic environment without physically altering the monument itself.
Exploring the Mansion through Virtual Reality
At the same time, a three-dimensional sample of a digital tour was developed using an Insta360 360° camera, exploring how Virtual Reality (VR) and immersive media can support the interpretation of tangible cultural heritage.
The short digital experience presents three areas of the mansion, accompanied by narration from Cynthia of Aegean Echoes:
- the morphological and aesthetic features of the mansion’s living room,
- a brief historical overview of the former dental office,
- and a short transition into the central hall.
The VR version focuses particularly on spatial perception and three-dimensional visualisation, while the physical guided experiences allow visitors to explore more deeply the social, historical and anthropological context of Ermoupolis and its historic mansions.
Digital Tools for Cultural Heritage
These activities build on the long-term exploration of Augmented Reality tools developed through projects led by Spyros Vosinakis and his team of students.
AR combines digital information — such as text, images, audiovisual material and three-dimensional models — with the real-world environment. In the field of cultural heritage, this creates new possibilities for interpretation and storytelling while preserving the physical integrity of historic places.
Virtual Reality offers a complementary approach. By recreating or capturing a space digitally, audiences can explore heritage environments from different perspectives and gain a stronger sense of scale, spatial relationships and architectural detail.
Virtual Tour Sample
Connecting Culture with Digital Innovation
Through this collaboration, Aegean Echoes continues to explore how culture, education and digital innovation can work together to create meaningful ways of experiencing and interpreting the heritage of Syros.
By combining physical visits with immersive technologies such as AR and VR, historic buildings can become spaces not only for preservation, but also for learning, experimentation, storytelling and public engagement.
